He hasn't been able to serve for the past few weeks so I'm sure his shoulder is a little tight. His baby (Queen's Club) has got a lot of contenders besides him: Nadal, Djokovic, Gasquet 2.0, Nalbandian... he's gonna have a tough time defending his title.

Quite frankly, I never trust anything that is said by Andy or his team for public or fan consumption. One frequently comes across statements that were cleary disingenuous in the light of later knowledge whether they concern his game, his coaches, his medical condition, or even his romantic life. Its all PR. One can only go by what one sees and in the photo I saw he was clearly in pain in the right shoulder. We'll just have to wait to see how he looks on grass to know how serious it was.

it was interesting to learn that he and Connors had effectively broken up at the time of the Australian Open even though the parting of the ways was not announced until more than a month later. I expect it took a while to arrange formalities.

Howdy. Well, I have disappointing news for those of you who might be expecting me to report that when I met up with Andy Roddick yesterday evening he showed up in baseball cap worn backwards, proceeded to throw down 16 beers, dragged me off to a strip club, and insisted we finish the night harassing vapid young models on the dance floor of Tejeune, the chic hotspot in Manhattan's meatpacking district.

I was walking down Lexington Avenue toward the Gramercy Park hotel when I saw a tall guy in a gray overcoat jaywalking just ahead. He was wearing headphones so when I called out "Andy?", he didnt hear me. I adjusted my volume control and tried again. This time he turned around. It was indeed Roddick.

It occurred to me that if I were not a tennis fan and had to guess his occupation from his looks and bearing, I would have ventured film maker, or maybe successful, no-nonsense entrepreneur in some digital enterprise where casual but tasteful, understated, dress is the norm. If you're one of those readers who insists seeing Andy as a frat boy, all I can say is that in civilian life the vibe he exudes is anything but. Sure, he's big, raw-boned, handsome in a clean-cut way; but that doesn't always add up to "knucklehead" unless you're hell bent on seeing it that way.

We greeted each other and made for the hotel. On the way, Andy told me he was relieved to learn that his shoulder problem was a small muscle tear, and all it required was a bit of rest. Upon walking into the hotel and checking out the bar, I was worried about the ambient noise (I would be using a tape recorder). So we wandered away and found a great spot to talk - an arrangement of plush sofas and chairs facing a fireplace. While we were engaged, an attendant came and added wood to the fire. The GPH is an elegant joint; one thing I particularly liked was that the pillars near where we sat were faced in horizontal planks of a rich, dark brown wood. You don't often get such a pleasant mixture or rustic and elegant.

Many of you know that I'm fond of Andy and enjoy what I'd call a cordial relationship with him. For one thing, he's an appealing combination of bright and sincere, and if he has an edge, at times, so what? That comes with the territory of having the self-confidence to ignore the impulse to self-edit. It's also respectful, which always grows out of humility. It's not that hard for the Roddicks of this world to feel so superior and entitled that anything not directly related to their aggrandizement is seen as a chore, a hassle, an imposition - something to be done as quickly and painlessly as possible.

Does Andy know that it's in his best interest to have good public relations? Of course he does - how could he not? But that doesn't mean he does things solely because he seeks good public relations, or that he doesn't exhibit certain qualities irrespective of how they affect his persona.

You may wonder why it's a pleasure for me to have that kind of relationship with my subjects (and I've managed to have quite a few like that, partly because of having covered tennis since before it became so associated with celebrity). Is it some groupie gene? Some bizarre vicarious thrill? Sheer if absurd ego-reinforcement?

Nah. It's because like all of you, I prefer to have "authentic" and satisfying relationships with the people I deal with at work. If you want to know just how difficult that can be in the age of the athlete-as-celebrity, read this piece, at Slate. And even if you couldn't care less about some sportswriter's lament, there's a four-word quote from Tom Seaver in there that makes reading the whole piece worth it. The comment is already enshrined along with all those quips by Goran Ivanisevic, Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, Jelena Jankovic et al in my personal quotation hall-of-fame.

Anyway, my main mission in talking with Andy was U.S. Open related, and most of the material I gathered will be used in Tennis magazine's September issue. However, I thought you might like a taste of it. We may also use some of the material next week, probably in an update on Roddick that will run on the home page (Tennis.com).

I mentioned Roddick's basic respect for others earlier; that respect extends to rival like Roger Federer, whom he respects in a more basic and realistic way than you might expect from someone who's so often been thumped and denied moments of glory by Federer. This is not cursory, mail-it-in appreciation.

"Nothing has changed this year as far as what Roger can do with a racket in his hand," Andy said, when I asked if he felt that Federer is more vulnerable now than in the past. "If you have the theoretical big point to play and one guy to play it, you want the racket in his hand. And I know from experience that having to talk about a 'slump', or being asked if you're 'struggling' every single day takes its toll. It's impossible not to start thinking about that stuff.

"If Roger didn't have to hear or be asked about struggling, I don't think he'd give the idea a second thought. I honestly believe that. But how tough is it if you're playing a Masters Series final and, when you lose, people ask 'what's wrong?' It's quit a monster he's created for himself. Look, he gets to the semfinal of a Slam and loses to the guy who wins the tournament and people are talking about it with, almost with. . . disgust. I don't think Pete Sampras ever had to deal with that. Wimbledon was different, but Pete could lose to someone in Paris, or Melbourne, and nobody said much. Roger, the guy's won four or five Masters titles on clay, he gets it every time he loses a match. Roger is unlike anything we've ever seen in men's tennis."That was an interesting way to put it, I thought. And speaking of that Grand Slam (the last Australian Open) where Roger lost in the semis, you'll recall that Roddick was upset in Melbourne in the third round, and caused a sensation when he berated an umpire. Of that incident, he said, "In Australia, I wanted to win so bad that I was driving myself crazy (Roddick had just severed his relationship with Jimmy Connors, which put him under a certain amount of pressure to perform). And it showed up, with that incident with the umpire - the general way I handled that loss and all that.

"Since then, though, I've settled down and gone about my business. And just when thing were going badly, up comes Dubai (where Roddick beat Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal in back-to-back matches before winning the title) and everything starts to click. The whole thing - confidence, expectations, pressure - it works in weird ways, and I don't have an explanation for it. But I'm not sure I would have won that match with Roger in Miami if I didn't have Dubai in the background."

Andy said he was really disappointed to miss the clay-court season, and said of his game on clay:

"The big thing for me is that when I play well on clay, I really feel I can win matches. It's that middle ground that hurts me, where I'm playing so-so, but on hard courts I can slime out a match 6-4,7-5, with one break here and there against a guy ranked no. 40 in the world. On clay, if I'm just playing average against a guy like that it can go either way.

"This year, I was playing well, I was moving well, mixing it up, playing the right shots at the right times. So I was really looking forward to the French Open. Any other year, a part of me would have been relieved about missing Paris. Not this year. I might have gone there and won the matches I'm supposed to win, and then you just see what happens when you come up against someone who's more of a clay specialist."

We went on to talk about subjects like Davis Cup and the assignment facing Roddick at the U.S. Open, but I'll leave it at that for now. After our interview, we walked up Lexington together a little way and shook hands, wishing each other well.

-------

I agree with everything Andy said there in bold! He's right on the money!

Quite frankly, I never trust anything that is said by Andy or his team for public or fan consumption. One frequently comes across statements that were cleary disingenuous in the light of later knowledge whether they concern his game, his coaches, his medical condition, or even his romantic life. Its all PR. One can only go by what one sees and in the photo I saw he was clearly in pain in the right shoulder. We'll just have to wait to see how he looks on grass to know how serious it was.

it was interesting to learn that he and Connors had effectively broken up at the time of the Australian Open even though the parting of the ways was not announced until more than a month later. I expect it took a while to arrange formalities.

Howdy. Well, I have disappointing news for those of you who might be expecting me to report that when I met up with Andy Roddick yesterday evening he showed up in baseball cap worn backwards, proceeded to throw down 16 beers, dragged me off to a strip club, and insisted we finish the night harassing vapid young models on the dance floor of Tejeune, the chic hotspot in Manhattan's meatpacking district.

I was walking down Lexington Avenue toward the Gramercy Park hotel when I saw a tall guy in a gray overcoat jaywalking just ahead. He was wearing headphones so when I called out "Andy?", he didnt hear me. I adjusted my volume control and tried again. This time he turned around. It was indeed Roddick.

It occurred to me that if I were not a tennis fan and had to guess his occupation from his looks and bearing, I would have ventured film maker, or maybe successful, no-nonsense entrepreneur in some digital enterprise where casual but tasteful, understated, dress is the norm. If you're one of those readers who insists seeing Andy as a frat boy, all I can say is that in civilian life the vibe he exudes is anything but. Sure, he's big, raw-boned, handsome in a clean-cut way; but that doesn't always add up to "knucklehead" unless you're hell bent on seeing it that way.

We greeted each other and made for the hotel. On the way, Andy told me he was relieved to learn that his shoulder problem was a small muscle tear, and all it required was a bit of rest. Upon walking into the hotel and checking out the bar, I was worried about the ambient noise (I would be using a tape recorder). So we wandered away and found a great spot to talk - an arrangement of plush sofas and chairs facing a fireplace. While we were engaged, an attendant came and added wood to the fire. The GPH is an elegant joint; one thing I particularly liked was that the pillars near where we sat were faced in horizontal planks of a rich, dark brown wood. You don't often get such a pleasant mixture or rustic and elegant.

Many of you know that I'm fond of Andy and enjoy what I'd call a cordial relationship with him. For one thing, he's an appealing combination of bright and sincere, and if he has an edge, at times, so what? That comes with the territory of having the self-confidence to ignore the impulse to self-edit. It's also respectful, which always grows out of humility. It's not that hard for the Roddicks of this world to feel so superior and entitled that anything not directly related to their aggrandizement is seen as a chore, a hassle, an imposition - something to be done as quickly and painlessly as possible.

Does Andy know that it's in his best interest to have good public relations? Of course he does - how could he not? But that doesn't mean he does things solely because he seeks good public relations, or that he doesn't exhibit certain qualities irrespective of how they affect his persona.

You may wonder why it's a pleasure for me to have that kind of relationship with my subjects (and I've managed to have quite a few like that, partly because of having covered tennis since before it became so associated with celebrity). Is it some groupie gene? Some bizarre vicarious thrill? Sheer if absurd ego-reinforcement?

Nah. It's because like all of you, I prefer to have "authentic" and satisfying relationships with the people I deal with at work. If you want to know just how difficult that can be in the age of the athlete-as-celebrity, read this piece, at Slate. And even if you couldn't care less about some sportswriter's lament, there's a four-word quote from Tom Seaver in there that makes reading the whole piece worth it. The comment is already enshrined along with all those quips by Goran Ivanisevic, Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, Jelena Jankovic et al in my personal quotation hall-of-fame.

Anyway, my main mission in talking with Andy was U.S. Open related, and most of the material I gathered will be used in Tennis magazine's September issue. However, I thought you might like a taste of it. We may also use some of the material next week, probably in an update on Roddick that will run on the home page (Tennis.com).

I mentioned Roddick's basic respect for others earlier; that respect extends to rival like Roger Federer, whom he respects in a more basic and realistic way than you might expect from someone who's so often been thumped and denied moments of glory by Federer. This is not cursory, mail-it-in appreciation.

"Nothing has changed this year as far as what Roger can do with a racket in his hand," Andy said, when I asked if he felt that Federer is more vulnerable now than in the past. "If you have the theoretical big point to play and one guy to play it, you want the racket in his hand. And I know from experience that having to talk about a 'slump', or being asked if you're 'struggling' every single day takes its toll. It's impossible not to start thinking about that stuff.

"If Roger didn't have to hear or be asked about struggling, I don't think he'd give the idea a second thought. I honestly believe that. But how tough is it if you're playing a Masters Series final and, when you lose, people ask 'what's wrong?' It's quit a monster he's created for himself. Look, he gets to the semfinal of a Slam and loses to the guy who wins the tournament and people are talking about it with, almost with. . . disgust. I don't think Pete Sampras ever had to deal with that. Wimbledon was different, but Pete could lose to someone in Paris, or Melbourne, and nobody said much. Roger, the guy's won four or five Masters titles on clay, he gets it every time he loses a match. Roger is unlike anything we've ever seen in men's tennis."That was an interesting way to put it, I thought. And speaking of that Grand Slam (the last Australian Open) where Roger lost in the semis, you'll recall that Roddick was upset in Melbourne in the third round, and caused a sensation when he berated an umpire. Of that incident, he said, "In Australia, I wanted to win so bad that I was driving myself crazy (Roddick had just severed his relationship with Jimmy Connors, which put him under a certain amount of pressure to perform). And it showed up, with that incident with the umpire - the general way I handled that loss and all that.

"Since then, though, I've settled down and gone about my business. And just when thing were going badly, up comes Dubai (where Roddick beat Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal in back-to-back matches before winning the title) and everything starts to click. The whole thing - confidence, expectations, pressure - it works in weird ways, and I don't have an explanation for it. But I'm not sure I would have won that match with Roger in Miami if I didn't have Dubai in the background."

Andy said he was really disappointed to miss the clay-court season, and said of his game on clay:

"The big thing for me is that when I play well on clay, I really feel I can win matches. It's that middle ground that hurts me, where I'm playing so-so, but on hard courts I can slime out a match 6-4,7-5, with one break here and there against a guy ranked no. 40 in the world. On clay, if I'm just playing average against a guy like that it can go either way.

"This year, I was playing well, I was moving well, mixing it up, playing the right shots at the right times. So I was really looking forward to the French Open. Any other year, a part of me would have been relieved about missing Paris. Not this year. I might have gone there and won the matches I'm supposed to win, and then you just see what happens when you come up against someone who's more of a clay specialist."

We went on to talk about subjects like Davis Cup and the assignment facing Roddick at the U.S. Open, but I'll leave it at that for now. After our interview, we walked up Lexington together a little way and shook hands, wishing each other well.

-------

I agree with everything Andy said there in bold! He's right on the money!

Nice interview, love this bit:

"Roger is unlike anything we've ever seen in mens tennis" (I was going to say...........but thought better of it )

I always remember JC telling him not to give too much respect/praise to Roger

The countdown to Queen's Club begins. The draw is out Saturday. Here's a recap of his 2003 win.

Andy captured his first title in London back in 2003. Andy was seeded third going into the draw, and in the second round he dispatched of Rik De Voest in straight sets. Next to fall was British hope, Greg Rusedski, and with two great grass courters going head to head, this one went down to the wire in the third set.

Through to the Quarterfinals, Andy faced fellow American, and strong serve and volleyer, Taylor Dent. Another straight sets triumph for Andy in this match propelled him into his greatest challenge: a semifinal against Andre Agassi.

Agassi, who was ranked 2 in the world at the time of the match, pushed Andy all the way to a third set tie break. There was no undoing the 27 aces that Andy threw down to Agassi though, and Andy clinched in just under two hours.

The final match for Andy was against Sebastian Grosjean. Another monumental serving display by Andy brought home his first grass court title, with the winning result 6-3, 6-3.

After the final, Andy delighted in victory,

“I didn’t have the easiest draw here but I couldn’t be happier right now. It’s humbling to be in the same category as some of the great champions, anyone who’s anyone has won here.”

Trivia fact of Andy’s 2003 win at Queen’s: En route to the final, Andy ate at the famous Ivy restaurant in London six nights in a row!

hey all!! i am off to london today!! i am excited to get to a tourney again. the shoulder is coming around... i still have not hit many serves, but hopefully that will come together before the start of queens. i can't wait to get over onto the grass for the first time this year. always on of the best days anyways, my friend dillon is waiting on me to put my bags in the car so he can drive me to the airport so take care, and i will hopefully see all of u soon

And this is from ESPN's Bonnie Ford:

Ed McGrogan (New York, NY): Hey Bonnie - At the other job (non-tennis) job today, so just wanted to say hello. Tell me your thoughts on the remainder of Roddick's year. By most people's accounts, its been a success - a win at Dubai, taking a match from Federer and SF in Rome being the highlights. But he's had subpar results at bigger events like the AO and Indian Wells, and couldn't capitalize his win over Roger into a title at Miami. What qualifies as a "successful" remainder of the year for him, particularly at Wimbledon and the US Open. Is anything short of a Slam title a "failure" to him, do you think? This year - seems - to be his best opportunity to snag one in some time.

Bonnie D. Ford: Greetings, Ed. For those who don't know him, by the way, Ed does a fine job as a guest blogger over at tennis.com... I thought Andy could have made some noise here and it's too bad his injury prevented that. I have a feeling he's got a very strong Wimbledon -- his last unachieved career goal -- in him. Then he's made a calculated decision to skip the Olympics and focus on the U.S. Open. That's a lot of self-imposed pressure, and yes, I do think Andy feels as if he's failed every time he falls short at a Slam. His desire shows no signs of abating, in fact, the other way around.

hey all!! i am off to london today!! i am excited to get to a tourney again. the shoulder is coming around... i still have not hit many serves, but hopefully that will come together before the start of queens. i can't wait to get over onto the grass for the first time this year. always on of the best days anyways, my friend dillon is waiting on me to put my bags in the car so he can drive me to the airport so take care, and i will hopefully see all of u soon

And this is from ESPN's Bonnie Ford:

Ed McGrogan (New York, NY): Hey Bonnie - At the other job (non-tennis) job today, so just wanted to say hello. Tell me your thoughts on the remainder of Roddick's year. By most people's accounts, its been a success - a win at Dubai, taking a match from Federer and SF in Rome being the highlights. But he's had subpar results at bigger events like the AO and Indian Wells, and couldn't capitalize his win over Roger into a title at Miami. What qualifies as a "successful" remainder of the year for him, particularly at Wimbledon and the US Open. Is anything short of a Slam title a "failure" to him, do you think? This year - seems - to be his best opportunity to snag one in some time.

Bonnie D. Ford: Greetings, Ed. For those who don't know him, by the way, Ed does a fine job as a guest blogger over at tennis.com... I thought Andy could have made some noise here and it's too bad his injury prevented that. I have a feeling he's got a very strong Wimbledon -- his last unachieved career goal -- in him. Then he's made a calculated decision to skip the Olympics and focus on the U.S. Open. That's a lot of self-imposed pressure, and yes, I do think Andy feels as if he's failed every time he falls short at a Slam. His desire shows no signs of abating, in fact, the other way around.

Never knew he was on facebook. I'll have to send him a friend request.

Logged

"We've been stuck in a locker room for nine hours a day and he's been chilling out, maybe taking the double decker bus tour of London."

At an airport, I saw an issue of "Outside" with Andy on the cover and a lead article Andy Roddick vs the World; How an American Champ Reclaimed his Mojo. The second part is a bit premature. Andy really NEEDS to do well in the next few months to justify it but I'm cautiously optimistic. The article seemed to be mostly based on Wimbledon prospects. As expected, the PR is pretty prominent.

As Andy’s participation at the Artois Championships draws nearer, we look back at Andy’s last Queen’s Club title in 2007.

Andy went into the Artois Championships ranked second, and after going over to the UK early, he’d taken in plenty of grass court practice. Andy received a bye into the second round where he defeated Radek Stepanek in straight sets.

Then came a nervy test against Britain’s Alex Bogdanovic. The match went right down to the wire, with Bogdanovic giving Andy’s supporters a real scare. A clutch win (4-6, 7-6(5), 6-4) from Andy though secured his place in the quarterfinals.

Andy had two straight sets wins in the quarters and semis, over the tall serving Marin Cilic and Dmitry Tursunov.

These wins set up what was to become a classic final between Andy and Nicolas Mahut. After losing the first set to effective, old-fashioned grass court play by Mahut, Andy found himself match point down in the second set tie break. Andy showed gutsy play by charging the net and he managed to pull out the tie break to give the match what it deserved: a third set. With both players on top form, the final set went to a tie break, where Andy’s experience showed through as he upped his level to clinch his fourth Artois title.

After the win Andy said,

“This was the toughest one by far. I hadn’t lost a set in the finals before. I feel like over the years they’ve been a part of me growing up at this tournament. We’ve established a relationship. I enjoy playing here a lot. It has a special place in my heart. I love the club. To have won four is great. My focus is now getting number one at Wimbledon.”

Trivia fact: Before Queen’s, Andy appeared on popular British TV chat show, ‘Friday Night with Johnathan Ross’ and was a great success getting to grips with British humour! ***

-------------------------

*** in case no one has seen this interview, here it is. It's Andy at his best

LONDON (AFP) - Andy Roddick insists he is happy to go into Wimbledon as an underdog after Rafael Nadal ended his reign at Queen's.

Roddick knows Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic will all be ahead of him in the pre-Wimbledon betting, but the American doesn't care if he's written off because he is convinced he can still mount a serious challenge for the title.

After being over-powered 7-5, 6-4 by Nadal in the semi-finals at Queen's, Roddick acknowledged he needs more time on court following his five-week lay-off with a shoulder injury.

"I wish I could have obviously been hitting a little bit more. It's just something you deal with," he said.

"It's definitely not a perfect scenario going into this tournament. But you do the best you can.

"To be honest, I got about what I wanted out of it. I was coming in short on practice. I hadn't really played much at all. I hadn't even served hardly.

"I wanted to come here, get some matches in, leave healthy. I feel that that's what I've done and now I have a week of preparation for Wimbledon."

Despite missing out on valuable time on the grass courts when Mardy Fish and Andy Murray pulled out on matches against him, the former US Open champion still expects to make his presence felt at the All-England Club in a tournament he believes could be more open than ever.

"I don't really pay attention to people saying I'm off the radar. I don't crave the attention or need the attention or anything like that. I just want to go in and try to put one foot in front of the other and get through some matches there," he said.

"It should be very exciting. Roger's certainly the favourite until someone knocks him off. But there's probably maybe some more conversation this year than there has been in years past. It will be a fun fortnight."

Roddick's hopes of winning a record fifth title at Queen's were ended in emphatic style as the reigning champion was dethroned by Nadal, but he won't dwell for long on the end of his dominance in west London.

"They never actually gave me a crown. They let me hold up the trophy for about 30 seconds every year! That's about the extent of it," he joked.

Q. Do you feel you lost your crown today?ANDY RODDICK: That's not like my opinion; that's just factual information.

Q. You've dominated Queen's Club for so long. Do you think that's it?ANDY RODDICK: Yes, I lost today.

Q. Do you feel you lost your crown, because you were King?ANDY RODDICK: They never actually gave me a crown. They let me hold up the trophy for about 30 seconds every year. That's about the extent of it.

Q. Do you feel you lost your crown today?ANDY RODDICK: That's not like my opinion; that's just factual information.

Q. You've dominated Queen's Club for so long. Do you think that's it?ANDY RODDICK: Yes, I lost today.

Q. Do you feel you lost your crown, because you were King?ANDY RODDICK: They never actually gave me a crown. They let me hold up the trophy for about 30 seconds every year. That's about the extent of it.

Hey all…. went down to rafa today.unfortunate, but to be honest I am in a better situation than I thoguht I would be at this point… about 4 days before queens I was not sure if I was gonna be able to make it over and be ready to play so its come a long way from there…. I am still not 100 percent but feel that another week of practice and treatment will do wonders before wimbledon. I think there will be some video from behind the scenes of the practice week next week for Club Roddick so check that out if you can…. all the best!!